firefish and orchid dottyback

[tripleup05]

I have asked if a firefish and a orchid dottyback can go together before, and the answer was generally yes but add the dottyback as one of the last fish. Well, right now I have had my firefish for about a month and its doing great, and my LFS finally got a orchid dottyback in. For some reason they have trouble getting them, so I'm tempted to go ahead and pick him up. But I have a few questions... I always assumed I would have another fish in there along with the firefish before putting the more aggresive dottback in, but what do yall think about the dottyback going in without having another fish? My thought was that with two other fish he wouldnt just pester one or the other. And my other question is this...I plan on getting a Red Parrot Fairy Wrasse. If I add the wrasse after the dottback, this is going to make things alot worse than if the wrasse was added at the same time or before the dottyback, correct? Basically, I'm just wondering if the dottyback will be too aggresive towards the firefish, and then later towards the wrasse when I get it. Thanks for any input!

 

[Anonymous]

I definitely would add it very last, not just after the firefish. Dottybacks are plain evil quite often.

Additionally, firefish can really be pansies. I had one that would hardly ever come out after I added a new 6-line wrasse. It eventually got less skittish. The wrasse wasn't even mean.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't add the dottyback at all. Orchid dottys are less aggressive than all the other dottys, but they are still aggressive to skittish and peaceful fish. Firefish are very very prone to hide and starve if you look at them funny, let alone add an aggressor to the tank.

If you do try it I would add the dotty very last as suggested.

 

[Anonymous]

Add the Orchid last and you should be fine.

I transfered my 3 year old Orchid dottyback into a 12 gallon with a few small True Ocellaris. (yes, I said true Ocellaris, what's so special about percs?)
The clowns are very small, and he is full grown. He made a few dashes at them over the period of maybe an hour, then calmed down and now he ignores them.
How large is this Orchid? Add him last and you should be fine, Orchids do not resemble the other dottybacks in temperment even a little bit IME.

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Jim,
I think that's the first time I've seen a picture of one of your tanks.

I will stand by my assesment. Orchids are individuals, and you may get a nice one if you're lucky. I had a pair that would harass flasher wrasses I kept with them until the wrasses wouldn't even come out of the rockwork to feed. This was in a 125 gallon tank. Clowns are by nature good at "ignoring" aggression, if it occurs. Firefish are not, and would rather just hide.

Just my 50 cents. Your mileage may vary....let us know how it turns out.

 

[Anonymous]

Jim,
I think that's the first time I've seen a picture of one of your tanks.

Well have a go at this! 'say in Steve Irwin voice'
Sadly, this tank is pretty much taken down now. All I have left of it is in my 12 gallon now.

Yeah, I have no experience with Firefish honestly, and true about the clowns.
That's an interesting thing about fish aggression. As long as the "victim" ignores it, there's no issue usually. I used to watch this over and over again with various species of cichlids.

 

[Anonymous]

There must be such variation in the agressiveness of orchid dottybacks. Mine was so docile, he was downright terrified of my blue assessor (who was a totally peaceful fish) and would not go on the assessors side of the tank at all. If he was out and saw the assessor, he darted under his shell and hid, poking his head out many times to make sure it was all clear. He moved out of the way for everybody swimming by, even the mandarin and cardinals.

He was such a good boy!

 

[Anonymous]

I have a sunrise dottyback. He only bothers the damsel. He totally ignores the convict blennies.

 

[tripleup05]

Hmm...this sure is tough! I really love the orchid, but I'll think on it a bit. No sense in rushing into it. If I get him though, I'll let yall know how it turns out

 

[tripleup05]

Well, I decided to go ahead and get the dottyback! He was in quarantine for about 3 days, and last night i was stupid and moved a ceiling tile above his tank and little white particles of the tile dropped in the tank. Mr dottback thought they were food, so he started trying to eat all of them. Needless to say, he got moved to the main tank ahead of schedule. Hopefully there isnt anythying wrong with him, but i'm sure living in water with ceiling tile particles would kill him. Anyways, I've been watchign the two fish today and they seem great. The firefish hovers in his usual spot at the left of the tank, and hte dottyback hangs around in a cave near that area. I havent see on bit of aggresion, so hopefully it will stay that way.

 

[Anonymous]

Do keep us updated. A risky experiment but I'd like to see how it turns out.

 

[tripleup05]

Still no problems so far. They even hang close together all of the time. The only behavioral difference i have noted in the firefish is that it lays in its little cave the opposite way than it did before. i guess to keep an eye on the dottyback.